Andrew Wise

Andrew Wise (fl. 1589 – 1603), or Wyse or Wythes, was a London publisher of the Elizabethan era who issued first editions of five Shakespearean plays. "No other London stationer invested in Shakespeare as assiduously as Wise did, at least while Shakespeare was still alive." [Sonia Massai, "Shakespeare and the Rise of the Editor," Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2007; p. 91.]

Andrew Wise was the son of a Yorkshire yeoman; as "Wythes," he served an eight-year apprenticeship under Henry Smith and Thomas Bradshaw starting in 1581, and became a "freeman" (a full member) of the Stationers Company on May 26, 1589. [Joseph Ames, "Typographical Antiquities," London, 1790; Vol. 3, pp. 1372-3.] He ran his own business in London from about 1593 to 1603; his shop was at the sign of the Angel in St. Paul's Churchyard.

Wise published editions of the following five Shakespearean plays: [E. K. Chambers, "The Elizabethan Stage," 4 Volumes, Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1923; Vol. 3, pp. 481-5.]
*He entered "Richard II" into the Stationers' Register on August 20, 1597, and published the first quarto of the play before the end of the year. The second and third quartos both followed in 1598. All three volumes were printed by Valentine Simmes.
* "Richard III" was entered into the Stationers' Register on October 20, 1597; the first quarto appeared later that year. Wise published the second quarto of "R3" in 1598, and the third in 1602. All three books were printed by Thomas Creede.
* "Henry IV, Part 1" was registered on February 25, 1598 (new style), and published later that year, printed by Valentine Simmes and Peter Short. Q2 followed in 1599, with printing by Simon Stafford.
* "Henry IV, Part 2" was registered on August 23, 1600; the sole quarto edition of the era was published that same year. In this case, Wise worked in partnership with colleague William Aspley; the printing was done once again by Valentine Simmes.
* "Much Ado About Nothing" was also registered on August 23, 1600, and published that year by Wise and Aspley, with printing by Simmes.

In one view, "Andrew Wise...struck gold three times in a row in 1597–8 by picking what would become the three best-selling Shakespearean quartos as the first three plays of his brief career." [Peter W. M. Blayney, "The Publication of Playbooks," in: "A New History of Early English Drama," John D. Cox and David Scott Kastan, eds.; New York, Columbia University Press, 1997; p. 389.]

In addition to Shakespeare's plays, Wise published a range of other contemporary works, including Thomas Nashe's "Christ's Tears Over Jerusalem" (1593), and Thomas Campion's "Observations in the Art of English Poesy" (1602). As was typical of publishers of his era, he published religious and homiletic works, like "The Pathway to Perfection" and "The Mean of Mourning" (both 1596) by Thomas Playfair — though he appears to have operated a rather small-scale business, in comparison with other stationers of his generation.

On June 25, 1603, Andrew Wise transferred his copyrights to "R2, R3," and "1H4" to fellow stationer Matthew Law, who issued subsequent quartos of all three plays. Thereafter Wise "is not heard of again." [F. E. Halliday, "A Shakespeare Companion 1564–1964," Baltimore, Penguin, 1964; p. 533.]

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